The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, known as PAS, a political party with a strong base in the Malaysian state of Kelantan, pushed through the Sharia Criminal Code Enactment (II) 1993, which calls for hudud, or extreme corporal punishment when there is strong evidence of a crime to insure "justice and equality."

The Burbank City Council agreed last week to keep the Verdugo Pool open all year after dozens of Burbank swimmers, some wearing swimsuits and goggles, showed up to City Hall last week to support year-round programming.
When the renovated aquatics...

Burbank officials on Thursday proposed changes to the city’s code that would address concerns from the public in recent months centered around allowing group homes in residential areas.
A couple dozen residents attended Thursday’s community...

Over the last decade, city officials have repaired roughly 40 miles of damaged city sidewalks, or more than a million square-feet of concrete, marking the completion of a multimillion dollar project to fix every tripping hazard citywide.
Public works...

The City Council on Thursday will consider how to tackle the backlog of unfunded capital improvements at DeBell Golf Club, with city officials having suggested a number of options that include forgiving two loans that together total $3.5 million or...

Elected officials said Thursday they aren't ready to forgive any loans given to DeBell Golf Club, though they did agree to fund $75,000 in capital needs at the facility, which is expected to boost the club's revenue stream.
Club operators have reportedly noticed a drop in revenue in the evenings at the driving range, which city officials said is due to a lack of lighting. It has been a problem for several years.
"(Scott) Scozzola is saying that if we can fix that, and at least get back to the level it...

Burbank got an unexpected bump this year in federal grant funding to benefit local public service agencies, long reduced due to the sluggish economy, though the amount is still well below what the organizations had requested.
The Burbank City Council on Tuesday dispersed just more than $162,000 in Community Block Development Grant funds to 14 local agencies, including nonprofit organizations and the Burbank school district, which is a small boost from the $141,000 it doled out last year.
Even so, the...

Local leaders and activists in the Armenian community this week called the conciliatory statement by Turkey’s prime minister regarding the 1915 Armenian killings a slap in the face because he declined to characterize the deaths as genocide.
As Armenians locally and around the world were commemorating the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which claimed the lives 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to the descendants...

Government Photos

Though state officials point to high levels of arsenic, chromium 6 and uranium in Burbank’s water in a recent report, city officials claim the data is based on untreated groundwater, saying what flows out of residents’ taps far exceeds mandated requirements.
Sam Delson, a deputy director for external and legislative affairs for California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard, said Burbank toxicity score was based on data gathered from treated water, but local water officials...

When Burbank resident Nick Mendoza walks his dog now, he carries a softball bat.
That’s because earlier this week, while taking his dog, Kody Bear, on a walk in his neighborhood near 5th Street and Walnut Avenue, the 47-year-old was chased by a large pack of coyotes.
A few days before, he’d seen a smaller pack of coyotes in the neighborhood devouring an animal. While a survey of the neighborhood didn’t yield any missing pets, “it was loud, something got eaten,” he said....

Burbank residents can now leave comments for city officials on issues slated to be discussed at upcoming meetings as part of a pilot program to increase community engagement, especially for those who may not be able to attend a meeting in person.
For six months starting in August, residents will be able to leave public comments online for the City Council, the Park, Recreation and Community Services Board and the Planning Board — three of the more than 20 different bodies that meet publicly on a...

City officials have temporarily suspended work on a report studying the environmental impacts of constructing a new 14-gate terminal at Bob Hope Airport following unresolved differences between the city of Burbank and the airport.
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority last week voted to defer considering making a payment of nearly $800,000 for the report, which includes the second half of the cost of the nearly $1.4 million report on the proposed terminal as well as potential development of...